Anderson focused on finale

James Anderson insists England remain in good heart despite their troubled Test series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates.

Last Updated: 02/02/12 10:58am

James Anderson: Insists spirits are still high heading into third and final Test against Pakistan

James Anderson insists England remain in good heart despite their troubled Test series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates.

After three poor totals in four attempts, culminating in 72 all out to lose the second Test and therefore the three-match series, there was a further minor blow to morale this morning when Ian Bell had to miss practice because of a stomach virus.

It was a case of infectious collapses taking hold in the two Test defeats to date, in Dubai and then Abu Dhabi.

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Stomach trouble

But England's batsmen have also been prone to illness, with Bell the third to suffer stomach problems over the past week following Jonathan Trott and Ravi Bopara during the second-Test defeat at the Zayed Stadium.

Bell is expected to recover in time for the third and final Test, starting back in Dubai on Friday, while fast bowler Anderson reported there is still a buoyant atmosphere in the squad.

"The mood is still pretty good considering the position we're in," he said. "We're just really concentrating on how we're going to win this game starting on Friday."

Bell explained on Tuesday that he and his fellow batsmen held clear-the-air talks about their collective ineffectiveness against Pakistan's spinners.

And Anderson added: "There has been a lot of talk about that; we've practised hard the last couple of days and we're just really looking forward to getting on with things on Friday now.

"I don't think there are more meetings than we normally have. We debrief every game and the debrief was probably a bit longer than normal this time.

"We're an open and honest group and the guys have been open and honest these last couple of days. All we're concentrating on now is Friday."